Digital SAT 5-Hour Quick Prep For Dummies

Ron Woldoff, MBA, is the founder of National Test Prep, where he helps students achieve their goals on the SAT, GMAT®, and GRE®. He teaches prep courses at Arizona and is the author of several test-prep books. Jane Burstein has decades of experience as an English teacher, adjunct professor, AP reader, and tutor for the SAT®, ACT®, GRE®, and GMAT® exams. She is the author or coauthor of numerous English and test-prep books.

Start Here 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 2

Where to Go from Here 2

Block 1: SAT Overview in 20 Minutes 3

Signing Up for the SAT 3

Choosing when to take and retake the test 3

Requesting accommodations 4

Getting financial help to cover fees 5

Registering for the test 5

Knowing What to Expect on the SAT 6

What’s on the SAT 6

Taking the adaptive (computer) test 6

Knowing what the SAT really looks for 7

Preparing to Take the SAT 7

Understanding Your Score 8

Composite score 8

Score reports 8

Block 2: Reading and Writing Section 11

Getting Up to Speed on Test-Taking Strategies 12

Reading faster with better comprehension 12

Finding the right answer fast 13

Putting the strategies to use 14

Focusing on Specific Content Areas 18

Social studies 18

Science 19

Literature 21

Poetry 22

Tackling English Vocabulary and Conventions Questions 23

Becoming sentence completion and in-context vocabulary savvy 24

Reviewing grammar, punctuation, and usage 26

Working in the research questions 32

Sorting Out Critical Thinking and Data Questions 33

Recognizing the question formats 33

Applying the strategies 34

Exploring the question formats 34

Practicing with Sample Questions 41

English vocabulary and conventions questions 41

Answers to English vocabulary and conventions questions 45

Critical thinking and data questions 46

Answers to critical thinking and data questions 49

Block 3: Math Section 51

Adopting Effective Test-Taking Strategies 51

Starting with formulas 52

Typing your answers 53

Reviewing the SAT Math topics 53

Simplifying Numbers and Operations 55

Brushing up on number types and order of operations 55

Simplifying numbers and operations 57

Solving Algebra and Functions 70

Solving for x 70

Solving for more than one x 74

Setting up equations 79

Graphing coordinate geometry 85

Drawing Geometry and Trigonometry 100

Drawing basic shapes 100

Drawing 3-D shapes 114

Solving trigonometry problems 117

Measuring Statistics and Probability 123

Measuring the mean, median, and mode 123

Measuring probability 125

Measuring graph data 126

Block 4: Taking a (Shortened) Practice Test 133

Section 1: Reading and Writing 135

Module 1 135

Module 2 139

Section 2: Math 145

Module 1 145

Module 2 148

Answers and Explanations 153

Section 1: Reading and Writing 153

Section 2: Math 156

Answer Key 161

Block 5: Ten Tips for the Night Before the SAT 163

Give Your Brain a Break 163

Stay Home and Healthy 164

Maintain a Positive Mindset 164

Find Your Admission Ticket 164

Check for Your Photo ID 165

Gather Your Water Bottle and Snacks 165

Practice Your Stress-Management Strategies 165

Plan to Dress in Layers 165

Set Your Alarm and Have a Backup 166

Review Your Travel Plans to the Test Center 166

Index 167